Lucknow: All nine Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MLAs in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday met party chief Jayant Chaudhary in Delhi, authorising him to take a call on remaining in the INDIA block or stitching a new alliance with the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as on voting in the Rajya Sabha polls in the state.
The meeting is being seen as a calculated bid to scotch romours that some of the RLD MLAs are not happy with Jayant Chaudhary’s announcement of joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“All the nine RLD MLAs stand by party president and MP Jayant Chaudhary,” RLD national spokesman Anil Dubey said in a statement, sharing pictures of the meeting. Jayant himself has described media reports about resentment among his MLAs as ‘false and misleading’.
An RLD MLA told HT after the meeting in Delhi that a formal announcement on the RLD-BJP alliance was expected in a day or two after Jayant Chaudhary had a meeting with the top BJP leadership on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s return from the foreign tour.
Though Jayant has given ample indications quite a few times about his decision to break away from his party’s alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) after the Centre announced conferment of the Bharat Ratna on his grandfather and late PM Chaudhary Charan Singh last week, he has not made any formal and direct announcement in this regard so far.
{{/usCountry}}Though Jayant has given ample indications quite a few times about his decision to break away from his party’s alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) after the Centre announced conferment of the Bharat Ratna on his grandfather and late PM Chaudhary Charan Singh last week, he has not made any formal and direct announcement in this regard so far.
{{/usCountry}}According to party insiders, Jayant wanted Modi’s guarantee before the alliance with the BJP was announced.
“Jayant Chaudhary may meet the PM soon to get a guarantee from him that the deal will be respectable for him and honoured too before he formally announces his return to the NDA,” another RLD MLA said.
“From our side, we authorised our leader to take the decision the way he wanted to, both on the alliance and the voting in the Rajya Sabha ,” he added.
It may be pointed out that the RLD MLAs’ support will be crucial for the BJP for its eighth candidate Sanjay Seth in the Rajya Sabha polls in UP. On its own strength (including allies’ numbers) in the Vidhan Sabha, the BJP can get only seven candidates elected to the Upper House.